


Adventure at the Summer Camp

by PoisonousTouch



Category: Original Work
Genre: Loli, Summer Camp, forest, smug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26268259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonousTouch/pseuds/PoisonousTouch
Summary: It's the middle of summer, and time for Fudge, Shoegaze, Narancia and the Squirrel Loli to go to summer camp.Their counselor, Nezha, takes them on a hike through the forest. However, the girls have other plans than those the catgirl had in mind for the afternoon.Fudge and Shoegaze are KuroShiro's characters ( https://twitter.com/KuroShiro00ff ) and Narancia is Wurm's character ( https://twitter.com/TheWurmer ).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kuroshiro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroshiro/gifts), [Wurm](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Wurm).



« -Fudge... Hey ! Fudge... Hey, hey ! Fudge ! » Shoegaze had been calling Fudge for the last few minutes. The two of them were walking along a forest path, following the rest of their group since the beginning of the afternoon.

It was the middle of summer, and instead of leaving their daughters inactive for the entire month of August, the parents of Fudge and Shoegaze had decided to send them both to a summer camp far away from the city.

Shoegaze didn't really mind. The little blonde-haired half-elf always enjoyed exploring the wilderness and meeting new faces... As well as being annoying to some of the kids she found funny. So, when their counselor told her group they would hike through the forest, Shoegaze was quick to put on her oversized red hoodie, a pair of shorts and her baskets before grabbing her backpack.

Fudge, however, wasn't as pleased by her presence at the camp. If it wasn't obvious from her pale skin, the little girl liked to stay inside and stay on her phone, rather than go out into the wilds to explore. She had tried to convince her parents not to send her to summer camp, but to no avail. At least, Shoegaze was here too... But Fudge didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse. Oh well. At least, she still had her phone, her earbuds and her tunes with her.

For the summer, the little girl had put away her usual dark outfits, and was dressed in a dark grey shirt and turquoise, short overalls. Summer was the only season she wore something a bit more colourful than usual. She had also put on dark fishnets as well as black boots.

Fudge groaned. She was getting a bit tired of Shoegaze poking at her and calling, even though she was obviously listening to music. Fudge took out her earbuds with a frown, as she turned to the half-elf. « -Ugh... What ? What do you want ? » she said, barely hiding her annoyance as a smirk appeared on her friend's face.

« -Whatcha listenin' to ? » asked Shoegaze. It was the fourth time already she bothered the little goth with that same question. The half-elf didn't seem to grow bored of it, opposite to her friend who rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Fudge didn't answer. Instead, shoving her earbuds back into place as her eyes went back to her phone. Shoegaze couldn't help herself but to laugh at that sight. It was just so easy to bother her gothic friend...

The half-elf's laughter quickly drew her counselor's attention. A woman with wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair, the ears and tail of a cat and answering to the name of Nezha. She was wearing a pretty simple outfit, consisting of a white shirt and jean shorts. The catgirl was easily recognizable, as the red tip of some of her fringes were not something that common among the staff of the camp.

Nezha looked at the two little girls in the back of the group. No doubt that Shoegaze had been bothering her friend again, but it was with no malicious intents. Nezha just didn't like to see the both of them so far away from the group. « -Fudge, Shoegaze ! » she called to the two girls, while gesturing for them to get closer. « I don't want to see you so far behind ! Come on, get closer ! »

Hearing their names, the half-elf and the gothic girl looked back at the counselor. « Don't worry ! We're right behind you ! » replied Shoegaze with a smile. « I was just making sure Fudge didn't become deaf ! »

« -Oh, shut up ! » retorted Fudge as she rolled her eyes again, getting another snicker from her half-elf friend.

Narancia turned her head to the two girls, as Shoegaze went ahead to give a big hug to a grumpy-looking Fudge. Just like the pair, the orange-haired little girl had been sent to the camp for the month of August, while her brother and her sister were going to be busy for a while and couldn't take care of her, to Wurm's discontent.

In truth, Nara didn't really mind. It was some time away from her annoying siblings and she had met new friends with whom she knew she'd have a good time around the forest and the nearby lake.

The orange girl became acquainted with Fudge and Shoegaze when she learnt that she would be sharing a cabin with the pair. The two seemed to know each other already, and were a bit curious as they had never seen an Anai like Narancia. With the first evening they shared in their cabin consisting mostly of Shoegaze asking the ginger about her black sclera, pointy ears and the leaf on her head. In the following days, Nara quickly came to like the half-elf and her shenanigans, while trying to cheer the goth up and put a smile on her face. To no avail so far, but it wouldn't stop the Anai girl from trying.

To hike through the forest, Narancia had taken off her oversized sweater and wore her black tank top with her shorts. She looked around as her hands reached for her bun, tightening it as she wondered where the fourth girl sharing their cabin was...

The Anai didn't have to think about this for too long, as a rustling in the leaves drew her attention to the branches above her head. Just in time to notice a shape falling next to her. Narancia jumped back, as she realized who landed next to her.

With her fluffy squirrel tail, brown hair tied in two small pig tails under her small ears and sporting a short blue skirt with a large white tee-shirt with blue edges, there was no doubt as to who it was. « -Squirly ! I told you to stop doing that ! » grumbled Narancia with a frown.

The squirrel girl looked back at the orange girl with a snicker. It wasn't the first time she had appeared seemingly out of nowhere like that. « -Hey, I needed to land somewhere ! Not my fault you were in the way ! » shrugged the little girl.

Squirly wasn't her real name. The girl had simply introduced herself as the « squirrel loli » to the girls she was sharing a cabin with, and Nara and Shoegaze had commonly decided to call her like that. The squirrel girl didn't seem to mind all that much. Although just like the half-elf, she had spent most of her time bothering other kids, but most notably, the Anai girl herself.

Narancia pouted, crossing her arms in discontent. « -What were you even doing in that tree ? You're always up there... »

« -What do you think I was doing up there ? » the squirrel asked back. « I'm a squirrel, I was looking for nuts ! »

The orange girl raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Looking for nuts ? That must have been one of the weirdest excuses she had ever heard... But Narancia wouldn't have the time to question it, as Squirly grabbed her hand and shoved something in her palm. « -There ! Just for you ! » added the squirrel loli, before turning back to follow the group.

Nara looked at what Squirly put in her hand. The other girl had just given her a handful of acorns, confirming that she had, in fact, been looking for nuts. But where did these come from ? The ginger didn't see any oaks in this part of the forest...

Oh well. Best not to question what that squirrel was up to. Narancia shrugged, before putting the nuts in her pocket. At least, it was... Kind of a nice gesture ? It was difficult to say, with Squirly... The Anai then started walking again, not wanting to get distanced by the group too much. Their counselor would certainly not like that.

Apart from some of the children bothering each other, Nezha was feeling pretty satisfied about this trek through the woods. It had been her idea to organize this hike, since she knew of a beautiful clearing not too far from the camp that the catgirl thought would be a nice destination.

Knowing that they would arrive shortly, Nezha stopped and turned toward her group, counting the children to make sure no one got lost on their way there. All twelve were in sight... « -Alright, kids ! » called the counselor. « We're almost there ! I hope you're not too tired just yet ! »

After hearing that, Shoegaze raised an eyebrow. « -How could someone be tired after this ? It's not been that long of a walk... » she commented to the three other girls.

« -I don't know. » shrugged the squirrel loli. « Probably making sure we didn't lose Fudge on the way there. »

« -Fuck off... » Fudge replied with a frown, not even raising her eyes from her phone.

Narancia chuckled, as she approached the gothic girl to hug her. « -Come oooooon, Fudge. Don't get mad, they're just teasing you ! »

That gesture from the Anai finally got Fudge to raise her head, and look at Nara as if she was some kind of alien. « -Yeah, yeah... They can still f- »

Before the little girl could finish her sentence, the half-elf joined in the hug, wrapping her arms around both Narancia and Fudge in a fit of laughter. « -Fuuuuuudge, language ! It's not nice to say that kind of stuff~ »

« -Oh, fuck off with that. » coldly replied the goth, sounding more and more annoyed. « You're just trying to make me an- »

Once more, she would be cut off by someone joining the hug. This time, it was the squirrel loli, who hugged Shoegaze from the back, and wrapped her fluffy tail around the rest of the group. « -Come on, don't be so mad. We're just trying to have fun with you, our friend ! Can you blame us for wanting to get more attention than your phone ? »

« -Yeah, exactly ! » chuckled Shoegaze, as one of her hands touched the squirrel's tail. « It's just toootally a coincidence that you got all grumpy in the process ! »

Squirly laughed back at the remark, while Fudge made a grouchy pout. She audibly exhaled from her nose. No matter what she said, these three would just keep poking and poking until she exploded. So instead, the little girl decided to stay silent and let the three hug her until they got bored or, most likely, she would.

And unsurprisingly, Fudge ran out of patience first. « -Okay... Can you three let me go, now ? » she asked while rolling her eyes.

« -Aw, you sure ? You look like you'd need even more- »

« -I'm good, thank you very much. » The gothic girl cut off the squirrel, not wanting to deal with more of her shenanigans.

A smug smile appeared on her face, as the little girl moved her tail away from the trio and stepped back. « -Fine, fine. Maaaan, you need to smile more, my girl~ »

Fudge exhaled again, as Narancia and her half-elf friend let go of her in turn. Why did she have to share a cabin with these three...

At least, they had arrived at their destination. A pretty large clearing in the forest, in the center of which was quite a curious sight. A large boulder rested in the middle of the area, atop of which a thick oak had managed to grow. Its large, sprawling roots coiled around the stone and reached for the soil around it. It was difficult to know how that tree managed to attain such a size while resting on this rock.

It was... Not as impressive and pretty as the lake, to be sure. But still an interesting sight for whoever interested in the legends surrounding that oak. Nezha smiled, as she walked up to the tree, her group closely following her. « -Okay kids, we've arrived ! » announced the catgirl. « This is Ogan, also known as the king of the Gunaan Forest ! »

With her affinity to magic, this place was... Very interesting, to Nezha. She could feel the raw magical energy of the landmark, years of rituals and legends giving this oak its arcane aura... It had quite a bit of history attached to it, too.

But to the kids, it was just a big tree atop a boulder. Sure, it wasn't something seen everyday, but... Without the ability to sense magic, however you looked at it, it was exactly what it looked like. A tree on top of a boulder.

« -... So... That's what she wanted us to see ? Just a tree on a rock ? » commented Narancia. She was clearly unimpressed by that sight. Why would their counselor take them on a hike just for a tree ?

« -Heh... I was expecting something cooler... » replied Shoegaze. « Looks very climbable, though. Wanna race to see who can climb it faster, Squirly ?~ »

« -Oh, sure. If you want to lose against me, be my guest. Easy win for me ! » The squirrel loli chuckled. Did the half-elf seriously try to challenge her to climb a tree ? She could practically just run up it !

Shoegaze chuckled back, excited. It would certainly be funnier than whatever their counselor had in mind for the afternoon, now that they were here. « -Okay ! Three, two- » she started to count down, before getting interrupted by Narancia.

« -Hey, it's not fair if you're the one counting down ! You're gonna start first, if you do ! » said the Anai. She was actually curious to know which one of the two would be able to climb that tree the fastest, and kind of wanted to see...

« -Ah, you're right... » Shoegaze replied, before pausing for a second. « Can you do it for us ? »

Narancia nodded, as she took place in front of her friends and raised her hand to count down, three fingers in the air. « -Three... » Nara lowered one of her fingers. The half-elf and the squirrel took position, ready to go at the signal. « Two... » Another finger down. Squirly and Shoegaze looked at each other, each with a smug smile. « One... » Almost there... « Aaaaand goooooo ! »

The Anai suddenly moved her hand down, giving the signal. And just as fast as she did, both the squirrel and the half-elf ran past Narancia and the other kids, heading for the tree. Both were going at a good pace, not wanting to let the other one win.

Meanwhile, Nezha was trying to tell the story of Ogan to the rest of the group. But it was more of an history lesson, something the group... Didn't seem to be very eager about, either. However, the catgirl was quickly interrupted when she felt something hit her arm, before Squirly and Shoegaze ran past her. « -Huh... Girls ? Where are you... ? » The catgirl started, confused. What were they doing ?

The counselor didn't stop the pair, as they approached from the king of the forest. The squirrel had lost some ground when she bumped into the woman, but managed to catch up to the half-elf when she arrived at the rock.

Nezha stood there for a second, not really sure of what to do as the two started climbing up the tree itself. Was her story that boring ? The woman pondered for a second... But in truth, it probably was. They probably wanted to play instead of listening to her history lesson.

With a chuckle, the catgirl turned back to the rest of the group. « -Well... I'm guessing none of you are interested in that story. Are you ? » she asked. Quite a few heads shook in response, giving Nezha the answer she was expecting.

Behind her, a victorious scream came from the tree. « -Hah ! Told yah I'd win ! » yelled the squirrel loli, as she sat on one of the branches.

« -Not fair, you did... What did you even do with your feet ?! Cheater ! » Shoegaze followed in a fit of laughter.

Nezha chuckled as she listened to the two, before focusing on the other children again. « -Alright... Then, go ahead and play for a while. Just don't get too far away from here, okay ? »

It didn't take for the counselor to finish her sentence before the kids started to disperse and run around the clearing. Smaller groups were forming around, to play whatever games they had in mind with their friends.

Narancia ran up to the oak in the center of the area, looking up in the branches to see where Squirly and Shoegaze were. The orange girl climbed the boulder, and started to try and join the two. Although she was clearly struggling.

Up in the tree, the squirrel and the half-elf were arguing about which one was actually the winner. « -I told you, you can't climb faster than a squirrel ! Stop crying, pointy ears ! » snickered the first.

« -It's easy, when you cheat ! How can you climb so fast when your tail is so big ? It should slow you down ! » retorted Shoegaze.

« -Giiiiiiiirl, PLEASE ! It's mostly fluff, so it doesn't weigh ANYTHING ! Contrary to your big bu- »

« -Girls ? » interrupted Nara, drawing both girl's attention. She seemed to be stuck and unable to join the pair. « Could you... Help me ? »

An embarrassed smile formed on the Anai's face, before Shoegaze and the squirrel loli looked back at each other. With a common fit of laughter, both reached down, grabbing Narancia's hands to help her up.

Meanwhile, Fudge didn't feel like joining the three. She didn't really want to climb up and risk letting go of her phone, only for it to fall down and break. So instead, the goth girl just headed to the edge of the clearing and sat against a tree. There, the sun wouldn't bother her... And finally, some peace from these three. Perhaps the afternoon wouldn't be so bad...

Nezha would stay up for a bit, watching as the kids started playing with each other. It wasn't exactly what she had planned so early, but... Oh well. She couldn't really do anything about it. The counselor stretched, before sitting down in the grass. As long as the group didn't go too far, there was nothing wrong with letting them run through the trees around the clearing.

Sure, there was a pretty deep marsh not too far from here, but... The woman had made sure the group wouldn't hike near it. She knew the area was dangerous, and with how curious some of the children of the group were, it was best if they didn't know about it at all.

After a while, the heat got to Nezha a bit. It was just warm and sunny enough for her to want to lay down and appreciate the flow of magic around her... But first, she made a few gestures with her hand, and a circular perimeter would form around the clearing, making sure that if someone tried to leave, the catgirl would know.

Satisfied, Nezha laid down. It seemed as though it was going to be quite a nice afternoon...


	2. Chapter 2

A few hours had gone by, and the sun was still shining bright in the sky, although a few clouds had started to show up to keep it company. So far, Nezha was pretty satisfied with this hike. The children had been enjoying themselves for most of the afternoon, playing and exploring their immediate surroundings. They even asked their counselor to join them in some of their games, invitation that the catgirl had accepted with a smile.

And the best part of it all, it seemed as though none of them had tried to explore further than the detection spell she had placed around the area. For once, she wouldn't need to scold one of the kids because they tried to explore further than what Nezha allowed.

With the afternoon progressing, the heat started to get worse, and the children started to get tired from playing. At this point, most of them had stopped running around and were taking cover from the sun's rays under the tree in the center of the clearing for a few, on the outskirt of it for others. And slowly, the forest had become quiet again.

Nezha was resting against one of the trees on the edge of the area, arms crossed behind her head. Even if it was hot, the woman did enjoy the warm air surrounding her. It was making the catgirl sleepy... But the woman had responsibilities. She was supposed to keep an eye on her group, make sure that none of the children would get lost in the forest. Nezha couldn't just nap right here and there... Or could she ?

The counselor looked around her. The kids were all in sight, hiding under the trees to keep away from the heat. Most of them were tired from playing all afternoon, so they would probably not leave their spots until it was time to go. Perhaps she could... Close her eyes for a few minutes.

Plus, it wasn't like she wouldn't know if someone left the area... The surveillance bubble Nezha had made around the area would wake her up in that case, so she could rest at ease. Satisfied with that thought, the catgirl made herself more comfortable. And after all, she would only doze off for a few minutes...

Shoegaze was laying down in the branch of one of the trees on the edge of the clearing, her arms and legs dangling down. She was more or less spent, after this afternoon of playing, poking Fudge from time to time and trying to find out which one was faster between the squirrel loli and her.

But now, the mix between her own exhaustion and the heat were a bit too much for the half-elf to keep going. « -Man... It's way too hot... » she commented, mopping up the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

« -I mean... Why are you even wearing a goddamn sweater in this weather ? Of course, you're gonna die of heat ! » questioned the squirrel loli, turning her head to Shoegaze while raising an eyebrow. The little rodent girl was resting on one of the branches from the same tree, laying down on her side.

The half-elf smiled, as she looked at the squirrel in turn. « -I like it... Besides, isn't your fur keeping you too hot, smarty ? » Shoegaze retorted, squinting her eyes with a smug expression.

« -Nah. » simply replied the other girl. « Shoegaze, helloooooo ! My fur gets thinner when summer comes, and thicker during winter. Why do you think I need to brush it so much, during spring ? You're an elf, so you should know that, tree hugger ! »

« -Yeah, sure thing, furball. I can't believe you're already balding~ » Shoegaze snickered.

« -Can't be helped, tree hugger. » shrugged the squirrel loli. « At least, I won't end up an hairy elf slob~ »

« -Can you two knock it off, already... ? » sighed Narancia. The little Anai was sitting down on the ground, under the branches where her two friends were arguing. And was getting a bit tired of hearing the two try to outdo the other in terms of snarky comments.

« -Hmmm... I'll consider it. » nodded the squirrel loli.

« -Yeah huh, Squirly... Not even someone who never met you would actually believe that. » Shoegaze followed with a chuckle.

The rodent girl chuckled in turn. « -I have no idea what you're talking about, knife-ears ! » she replied with a smug shrug.

Narancia rolled her eyes. These two could get so irritating, when they put their mind to it... Not really wanting to deal with that with the current weather, the orange girl looked to the side, wondering what Fudge was up to.

To Nara's surprise, the goth girl had not moved from her spot the entire afternoon. She was still under the same tree and looking at her phone, doing her own things while pretty much ignoring everything around her. How she was resisting the heat so well was a mystery to the Anai.

« -It's still too hot, though... » complained Shoegaze again, having laid herself down on her branch again.

« -... Yeah... » Narancia replied. At least, she could agree with the half-elf on that. « How long before we go back to the camp, anyway ? I think no one's playing anymore, so... Why is Nezha not taking us back ? »

« -I don't know. » shrugged the squirrel loli. « Perhaps she wants us to cook just a little more before we go... Hell do I know. »

« -Doesn't she do magic, though ? If she wanted to cook us, why wouldn't she just, y'know... Use a spell for that ? » Shoegaze asked, turning her head toward the rodent girl.

« -Yeah, true... Oh well. » Bored of staying inactive, the squirrel loli got up on her branch, and jumped down. And, without any words of explanation, started walking away.

Narancia turned her head to the rodent girl, intrigued. « -Where are you going, Squirly ? » asked the Anai girl.

« -Gonna try to find a better spot to rest ! » replied the squirrel, as she stopped to look back at Nara. « It's too hot here. Should be better further away from this dumb clearing... »

« -Not sure if that'll help all that much... » Shoegaze commented, her smug smile finding its way back onto the half-elf's face.

« -Actually, she's not wrong. » added Narancia. « It's cooler under the trees, because the leaves keep the sun from getting to the ground too much. So, Squirly has a good idea. »

The squirrel loli chuckled. « -See ? Now, get down here and follow me. Unless you want to stay here and die of boredom ! »

Shoegaze took her chin between her thumb and index, fakely pondering about the offer before getting up in turn and jumping down to join the rodent girl. « -It'll be less boring than staying here, so yeah. I'm in ! » said the half-elf, before turning back to Narancia. « Are you coming with us too ? »

The orange girl didn't really have to give it much of a thought. It was too hot for her to want to stay here, even if she was tired. So, the little girl quickly got up and tightened her bun before joining her two friends. « -Sure ! Plus, we'll see more of the forest ! » she replied with a smile.

Satisfied with that answer, the squirrel loli pointed in front of her. « -Onward we go ! » announced the rodent. And before long, the three were on their way to find a better spot under the shade of the leaves above them.

Having getting bored of it already, Fudge closed off the game she had been playing on her phone for most of the afternoon. Her battery was running low and the goth girl didn't really want for it to turn off on her while still deep in the forest.

And surprisingly, Fudge thought it had been... Quite a nice afternoon, actually. Sure, Shoegaze and Squirly tried to annoy her from time to time but for the most part, she had been left alone. And their counselor didn't try to force her to join the others in their games or confiscate her phone !

Curious, the goth girl turned her head to the side, to see what her friends were up to. The three had taken place up and around a tree not too far from her, and when she looked their way, the girls seemed to be getting up to head somewhere.

Fudge raised an eyebrow at this sight. Where were they even planning on going ? There was no way Nezha would allow them to just go out in the forest without her surveillance. But it would definitely not surprise the goth girl if that was actually their plan.

She tried to ignore them, but... In the end, Fudge got up as the three started walking away. « -Hey. » she called, trying to get the three's attention. To no avail. « HEY ! » she repeated louder.

And this time, the goth girl managed to draw her friends's attention. The trio stopped in their track and turned toward Fudge. Seeing her, Narancia smiled and gave her a wave, quickly followed by Shoegaze. « -Hey, Fudge ! Didn't think we'd see you before we walked back to the camp ! » said the orange girl.

« -I thought you were starting to take root~ » Shoegaze teased with a chuckle.

« -Yeah, yeah. I was taking root, Shoe... » replied Fudge with an unamused squint. « Where are you going like this ? »

« -Gonna try and find a cooler place ! It's too hot around here. » the squirrel loli explained, turning back toward the woods. « If we go deeper, I'm sure we'll find a nice tree ! »

« -... What ? » Fudge raised an eyebrow. Were these three seriously gonna go out in the forest alone, just like that ? Granted, Squirly and Shoegaze loved exploring and all, but... There was no way their counselor would allow it.

The squirrel loli chuckled, putting her hands on her hips while looking back at the goth girl with a smug face. « -Yah heard me right ! Okay, three-two-one, we're going ! Follow my lead ! » she said. And before any of the girls could react, the rodent girl started running through the trees.

« -Hey ! Wait for us, you dummy ! » laughed Shoegaze. Quickly enough, the half-elf followed suit, trying to match her squirrel friend's speed.

« -Wait, are you really just gonna- » Fudge tried to say to try and prevent her friends from running away. But soon enough, Narancia followed them in turn, leaving the goth girl all alone. Seeing the Anai run away as well, Fudge sighed.

Usually, she... Didn't really care about what these three would get up to. But somehow, she knew this would definitely not end well if she left these morons go and get lost... As far as Fudge was aware, none of the girls actually had a phone. Or if they did, they probably didn't take it with them.

The goth girl groaned. Looks like she was gonna have to play the babysitter to make sure her friends wouldn't end up getting hurt... As annoying as it could be. Fudge looked back at the clearing for a second. Then, she started running after Squirly, Shoegaze and Narancia. The goth girl knew it would definitely not end well for them, if Nezha discovered they had ran away... But it was better than to end up with one of her friends getting hurt.

The squirrel loli would end up running through the forest for a while, before slowing down to let the other girls catch up to her. It wasn't her first time strolling through an unknown place looking for a good spot to climb up and rest, shielded from the sun. But the process of finding a good tree was always somewhat long. Any old tree wouldn't do the trick, no. It had to be the perfect tree ! With branches at the right height and wood that wouldn't be too uncomfortable to sit on. So, the rodent girl had to keep her peepers peeled if she wanted to find exactly what she wanted.

Something that puzzled Narancia quite a bit. They were already quite far away from the clearing the rest of their group was at already, and the air already felt way cooler and more comfortable. So, why were they going even further away ? « -Squirly ? » ended up calling the Anai. The rodent girl turned her head to her friend. « Why are we still going ? It's already less hot here... Why don't we stop ? »

The squirrel loli rolled her eyes. « -Oh, silly Nara... » she commented. « I'm not gonna stop here and get up in one of THOSE trees ! » The rodent girl raised her arms, designating the forest around them. « You see, if we want to be all nice and chill, we need to find the PERFECT tree. And so far, all of those ? Nah. Not anywhere close to what we're looking for ! »

« -Pfff... And on what criterias are you basing weither a tree is good enough for you or not ? » asked Fudge. The goth girl was tremendously irritated by this new trek through the forest, and even more so as that damned squirrel had decided to act up again.

Her question was met with a mocking chuckle. « -Fudgey, Fudgey, Fudgey... » the squirrel loli replied with a condescending tone. She reached for the black-haired girl's head, trying to pet it. But her hand was quickly slapped away by Fudge.

« -Do that again and I'm punching you in the teeth. » threatened the goth girl. Her rodent friend stepped back, a smirk on her face.

« -Yeah, like you could even catch me to try~ » Squirly teased. « Anyway, back to what I was saying ! The answer to your question is « follow my lead and trust me, I'll know when I see it ». There, happy ? »

Fudge rolled her eyes, before crossing her arms. « -That doesn't answer my question. At all. »

« -Tough luck~ » mocked the squirrel, as her finger gently poked the tip of the goth's nose with a « Boop ! » This time, with Fudge not being fast enough to slap the other girl's hand away.

The black-haired girl frowned and exhaled from her nose. Her visible anger fueling Squirly more and more, delighting in the frustration she was causing to her friend. « -You're despicable. » coldly commented Fudge.

« -Flattery will get you nowhere, Fudgey ! » the squirrel loli laughed.

Enough was enough. Fudge groaned and stepped forward, just about done with that damn rodent. But before the goth girl could even try to slap the smug off Squirly's face, she was interrupted by a call from Narancia.

« -Hey, girls ! I found something, come here ! » shouted the Anai, drawing the group's attention. She was standing on a tree stump hidden by a few bushes, having decided to look around the area instead of listening to her friends arguing.

Fudge looked back at the squirrel loli with a squint. She would be spared... For now. The rodent girl only replying with a smirk, before the two turned back to Narancia. Shoegaze was already on her way to join the orange girl, jumping on the stump she was standing with an excited smile on her face.

« -What did you find ? What did you find ? » the half-elf asked cheerfully. Narancia only replied with a smile and by raising her finger, pointing to the part of the forest on the other side of the stump.

As Fudge and the squirrel loli joined their two friends, the group would be able to gaze upon a lower part of the woods. Or at least, what was left of it. Be it because of torrential rains or it being the work of a nearby stream, the girls were facing a large, marshy area dotted with small clods of earth left and right in the murky water.

A few trees that had fallen over allowed passage between some of these islands, and the way the ones that were still standing leaned and intertwined their branches could allow for more agile beings to easily traverse the marsh by going from tree to tree.

The whole area looked like a big jungle gym. And at this sight, a smile spread across both Shoegaze and Squirly's faces.

« -Woah... This place looks AWESOME ! » cheerfully shouted the half-elf. She started jumping in place, barely able to contain herself. She just wanted to get in there and start climbing and move around the swamp from above ! « Nara, how did you find it ? »

The orange girl chuckled as she observed Shoegaze jump in place like that. « -Was better to look around than listen to Fudge and Squirly argue ! » she said, a smile on her face. Narancia knew this place would most certainly please both the half-elf and the squirrel loli. And from both their expressions, her assumption seemed to be correct. « I know it's not really what we were looking for, but... You still have some energy left, right ? »

Fudge sighed, as she looked at the marsh. The trees, the clods of muddy dirt, the murky water... « -... Yeah, there's no way I'm going in there. » simply stated the goth girl.

« -There's no way I'm not. Hey, Shoegaze ! Let's see if we can't get above the leaves, from here ! » the squirrel loli replied with a wide smile, before jumping to one of the trees above the water.

« -From this one ? No way ! We need to find a taller tree ! » The half-elf joyfully chuckled, as she quickly followed and jumped to grab onto the same tree as Squirly. And before long, the two little girls were off above the branches, the only thing attesting their presence being their laughter and the branches rumbling on their path.

Fudge stood silent again, observing the two running away in the marsh in the sort. She didn't really expected them to stay put and go back, but... Ugh, whatever.

The goth girl was about to sigh again, before feeling Narancia's hand on her shoulder. « -Are you okay, Fudge ? » asked the Anai.

Not replying right away, Fudge looked back to the orange girl. She seemed... Actually quite concerned about her. A puzzled look spread across the goth girl's face. « -... Yes, I am. Why are you asking ? » Fudge questioned with a neutral tone.

« -I don't know... You look like you're really not enjoying any of this... »

The goth girl didn't answer right away. Of course, she didn't really enjoy this... She was more or less forced to follow the three all they way out here, with two annoyances like Shoegaze and Squirly. And her phone battery was close to dead.

« -Yeah... Because I'm not. » Fudge ended up bluntly replying.

So blunt in fact, Narancia was surprised by the goth's honesty. « -Hm... Then, I think I know what could help you feel better ! » replied the Anai, her surprise replaced by a cheerful smile, as she grabbed onto Fudge's hand.

« -Hmf... And what did you have in mind ? » asked the black-haired girl.

« -Follow me ! Let's try to get on some of those islands ! » Nara pulled on Fudge's hand, trying to get her to follow along. « Come on ! It's gonna be fun, I swear ! »

The goth frowned, as she heard Narancia's words. Seriously ? She wanted to try and go from island to island while walking on a multitude of tree trunks bridges with questionable stability ? Fudge looked at the marsh for a few seconds, before groaning in annoyance.

« -Ugh... Fine, fine... » replied Fudge, rolling her eyes. She knew that the Anai would never leave her alone if she didn't agree.

Nara's smile widened at her friend's answer. « -Let's get going ! I've spotted a path that should be cool to get through ! Come on ! » On these words, the Anai jumped down the stump toward the marsh, with Fudge following closely behind, her hand still held by the orange girl. Narancia sat down on the elevated edge of the marsh, putting her feet down on the nearest trunk above the water.

The Anai pushed on it a few times, trying to see if it was stable. Once she was sure it was, the orange girl jumped down. She then turned back to Fudge, who still seemed doubtful. « -... Are you sure this can support both of us ? » she asked.

« -100% sure ! I tried it before stepping down ! » energically nodded Narancia. « Come on, don't be scared ! If you fall, I'll help you get back up ! I swear ! »

Again, Fudge hesitated for a second. She didn't want to try her luck all that much... Heh, screw it. Finally giving up entirely, the goth girl kneeled down and carefully put her feet down on the trunks. As she did, Fudge tried to hide as best as she could her fear of falling in the water.

Unfortunately for her, a slight shaking of the trunk made the goth tense up. Her usually neutral face twisted in panic, as Fudge grabbed onto Narancia's arm with both her hands, making her slightly lose balance.

« -Woah ! Calm down, Fudge ! Calm down ! Everything's fine, everything's fine ! » the orange girl tried to reassure her friend, as she swiftly regained her balance.

« -Don't let go of me. Don't let go of me. Don't. Let go. Of me ! » stammered Fudge, even though she was the one holding the Anai's arm for dear life.

« -I won't ! I won't ! Pinky promise I won't ! » replied Narancia. « But right now, you're... Kinda hurting me... Can you... Hmmm... Let go of my arm juuuust a little bit... ? »

The goth girl stood silent for a second. Realizing how she had reacted to the situation. Quickly, Fudge let go of her friend's arm and looked away, as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Her face going back to her neutral, annoyed expression. « -Hm... Yeah... Sorry... » grumbled Fudge, getting a giggle out of Narancia. « … Don't you dare saying anything to Shoegaze and Squirly. »

« -Hm hm hm... Say what ? I didn't see anything ! » The Anai gave another wide smile to the goth girl. She definitely wasn't expecting such a reaction from her friend ! « Come on, now. Let's explore ! »

Fudge sighed of relief. If either of these two heard about what just happened, she would never stop hearing about that... With that out of the way, perhaps she could actually have some fun following Narancia around. The orange girl started walking toward the moat on the other side of that improvised bridge, raising her arms to the sides to keep her balance. The goth girl hesitated a second, before mimicking Nara's gestures. Although a bit more shakily and less confident than the Anai. But hey... At least, she was trying.

Some time passed, as the four girls explored the marsh. It was far cooler in this part of the forest than it was anywhere else, and the fresh air seemed to have given both Shoegaze and the squirrel loli a second wind, as they went from tree to tree above the murky water.

Fudge and Narancia weren't really trying to go at the same pace as the two girls up above them. The goth girl was anything but confident when traversing from small island to small island and in the end, stopped her friend to take a short break from this exploration of the marsh. The two were thus on two tree trunks linking one of the clods to the others, facing each other.

« -It's official : I hate this... » announced Fudge. Each time she passed from one clod to the other, she had been scared she would fall down and get properly soaked with that disgusting murky water. And worst of all, break her phone in the process !

Narancia chuckled. « -Really ? Why ? You've been doing well, so far ! » praised the Anai, a smile on her face.

« -Yeah, you haven't fallen into the water yet ! Which is pretty good, all things considered~ » A voice coming from above made Nara and Fudge look up, to see who was behind that snarky comment.

Sitting on branches intertwined together were both Shoegaze and the squirrel loli, both looking down at their friends. It was pretty obvious who had make that witty remark, with the smug smile that the rodent girl had on her face.

« -I don't remember asking for your opinion, Squirly. » retorted Fudge with a frown.

« -I know. Doesn't mean I care~ » the rodent girl nodded with a chuckle, eliciting another roll of the eyes from the goth girl.

Before her friends could start arguing again, Shoegaze broke into the conversation. « -You should have come up here with us, girls ! It's reaaaaally cool to see the marsh from up here ! »

« -We're not as agile as you and Squirly, Shoegaze ! » Narancia retorted with a pout. « You can't expect everyone to do the same things as you two can do ! »

« -Yeah, fair, but- » started Shoegaze, only to be interrupted by a bubbling noise coming from the water.

Intrigued, all four girls looked toward the source of the sound they heard. « -Hm... Did y'all hear something too ? » asked the squirrel loli, as she stared at the marsh.

« -... I... I think I heard something too... » Narancia replied. In turn, Shoegaze and Fudge nodded, confirming that they each had heard the same thing, and started looking around. Were there creatures underneath the surface ? Difficult to tell, with how murky the water was. But there couldn't be... Right ?

A few seconds passed, as the four tried to see anything, without the noise repeating. It was Fudge who ended up breaking the silence. « -... Heh... It was probably noth- » she began to say.

Only to be interrupted by a huge creature erupting from the water right next to them. An horrendous monster, way larger than any of the girls. It had the shape of an headless crocodile, with scales black as night. It had two humanoid arms on each side of its body and on its torso opened a wide mouth filled with multiple rows of sharp fangs.

The girls screamed as one at the sight of this monstrosity as it crawled itself up on the clod the girls were standing. Panicked, Fudge and Narancia got up, turning back to the way they came from to try and run away. Shoegaze and the squirrel loli wouldn't wait long before starting to run in turn, jumping from branch to branch to escape the creature.

« -What the HELL IS THAT ?! » screamed the terrified half-elf.

Squirly's response was as swift as could be. « -IT'S A « SHUT THE FUCK UP AND RUN » ! » Shoegaze would definitely not question that. Instead, trying her best not to fall while running away, stumbling a few times due to panic.

Underneath them, Narancia tried to do her best to help Fudge hurry up on the trunks. Fortunately, the creature seemed to be relatively slow, as it could barely keep up with the pair. But the distance it couldn't catch up was made up by how chaotic the monster was in its advance. Destroying the trunks in its path, as it let out a terrifying bellow.

Filled with dread, it took all of Nara's strength not to panick. Any mistake would mean they wouldn't be able to get back to the shore. She didn't know how deep the water truly was, so swimming back was definitely not an option either.

And to top it all off, she had to help out Fudge as much as she could. The goth wasn't as balanced as she was, and needed the Anai to traverse the marsh, holding tight onto her hand. Her face showing genuine fear at the situation.

« -It's behind me ! IT'S RIGHT BEHIND ME ! » squeaked the black-haired girl, as she jumped off one of the trunks, just in time to avoid it getting crushed by the monstrosity chasing the girls.

« -DON'T LOOK BACK ! JUST RUN AND DON'T LOOK BACK ! » Nara ordered, her voice betraying how scared she was.

And as the Anai tried to climb onto the next fallen tree... She stumbled, just a little bit. Just enough for her to put her feet back down if she didn't want to fall into the water. A shiver went up Narancia's spine. She didn't know how close the monster was. That mistake... That one, tiny mistake... As far as she was aware, it was enough to spell her and Fudge's doom.

The orange girl closed her eyes. Terrified of what was to come... But instead of the creature pouncing on the pair, she heard a voice. A feminine, angry voice. Very, very angry voice. Slowly, Nara opened her eyes. And looked up toward the newcomer.

« -THERE YOU ARE ! » roared Nezha, as she stepped on the very stump from which Narancia had found the marsh. Her hand was raised in the air, an intricate magical circle floating in front of her open palm.

Behind the two girls, the monster seemed to be completely frozen in midair, white ribbons floating in the air and holding it in place.

Fudge and Narancia stopped moving. And in their confusion, so did Shoegaze and the squirrel loli, as she heard their counsellor's voice. And from the face she was making, it was clear as day... Nezha was pissed.

The catgirl took a deep breath, and looked at all four with a stern look. « -Why... Did the four of you... Left like that ?! » scolded Nezha.

Shoegaze gulped. It was clear that they were in big troubles... « -Huuuuh... We... We were just looking for a cooler place ! It was too hot back there ! » hesitated the half-elf.

« -THE FOREST IS DANGEROUS ! » furiously shouted Nezha, as she violently opened her arms, hurling the monster through the air like it was a small ball. « YOU EVEN GOT ATTACKED ! WHAT IF ONE OF YOU GOT INJURED ?! »

None of the girls dared to reply, as they heard the creature that chased them splashing into the water. Not even the squirrel loli tried to make a snarky comment. Especially not to a pissed off mage.

Frustrated and not pleased by the complete lack of response, Nezha sighed loudly. « -Get back here. Right now. » ordered the counsellor. « And if I hear even the SLIGHTEST witty comment or snarky remark, I can promise the four of you that you won't forget the punishment you'll be getting. Am I clear ? »

Again, the girls stood silent. The four of them looked at each other for a few seconds... Before slowly getting back to the shore under their counsellor's stern gaze. They would definitely not get out of this scot-free...


End file.
